Prop Time

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A  movie without props is like having a salad with just lettuce. It's boring. The idea of it is there, yes, but, it's pretty bland. Props have a variety of roles in a film, which makes them so important. They can be help to authenticate a scene by having a real life environment the audience can be familiar with; they can, similarly, help to set a scene, setting, and time; or they may aid in the overall characterization of a character. Props are what make a film or a scene feel real, like what is happening is actually happening regardless of the fact that it very well may be aliens destroying the Earth. Of course, my props won't be anything near as apocalyptic as that example, but they're going to be equally important in developing the plot and setting the scene. So, let's talk about it.

The two props I will be talking about in this specific post are, in my opinion, the most important props for our film opening. These are the large envelopes that the characters will be receiving which signal their acceptances into college, as they did in the 2000's, and the bottles of medicine or pills that Lily will have in her house, hinting at her illness and, ultimately, the climax of the would-be film. 

Image from Happy Schools, citation below

College admissions happen very differently now than they did in the early 2000's. Now, an email is quickly sent to you instructing you to check each university's handy website that'll direct you to your admission decision letter in which you'll receive the classic "We are pleased to offer you..." or the "We regret to inform you.." lines. However, 20 or so years ago, emails weren't the common thing they are now. Colleges most generally sent out envelopes with the actual admission decision letters through the mail, and the anxious seniors had to wait for them to be sent out and to make the journey to wherever they lived in order to know whether they'd been accepted into college or not. A big difference, aside from the long wait to get your letter, is that it was quite obvious to tell of the college's decision before you even got to the classic lines I mentioned above. This is because acceptance envelopes were actually bigger and thicker than the rejection envelopes since they included all the necessary forms and information about starting at that school, and rejected students didn't need that information, unfortunately. The day that the letter arrived in the mail, it was probably a nerve wracking experience to open up the mailbox, but getting that large envelope was such an exciting experience, I'm sure.

For the purposes of our story, both of our characters are sure to get the large envelopes of acceptance. They check their mailboxes, open their letters, and get excited together when they are both accepted. This will be such an important part to our film's storyline because it will indicate the bright future that they are both hoping to live together as they are able to go to university together as they've dreamed for years. It sets up the hopeful note that all their dreams are coming true, and excites them, and the audience, for this future they are building. The moment of their admission, and their subsequent reaction, also begins to build a bond with the characters as the audience inevitably gets happy for them after they celebrate together. Overall, this specific prop is very important because it starts off the plot of the movie and part of the conflict that will be occurring and begins to develop the characters due to their reactions.

Image from PopCrush, citation below

The second important prop that will be used in this film opening are bottles of medicine. These will be the classic yellow bottles of pills that almost every pharmacy sells with prescription medication as they will be easily recognizable for what they are without needing to actually name them or their use. Because one of our main conflicts in this storyline will be the passing of Lily, we need to hint to 1) the fact that this will happen, a.k.a. something is wrong, and 2) how this will happen. Near the end of the film opening, Lily will take one of these small containers and take one of the medications from inside, which handles both of these points: the "something is wrong" is the fact that she is ill, and this will be the reason that she will die later on in the story. Having these prop bottles allows us to set up the main conflict in the story in a somewhat subtle fashion that introduces the audience into this story. They won't be outright discussed or referenced in anyway, but it is the indirect display of them that will leave the audience guessing and with that sense of dread at the fact that they most likely know what this story could lead to.

These props are going to be key to the development of the storyline as well as the characters as we introduce subtle hints of the major conflict of the plot and not so subtle characterizations of both of our main characters. 

SOURCES:

Dg-Editor. (2020, February 24). The Importance of Props in Film. Dick George Creatives. https://dickgeorge.co.uk/2020/02/the-importance-of-props-in-film/

11 Awesome College Acceptance Letters shared in Instagram. Happy Schools. (2013, October 21). https://www.happyschools.com/college-acceptance-letters-shares/

Miller, J. (2025, January 27). Why Are Prescription Bottles That Ugly Amber Color?. PopCrush. https://popcrush.com/why-prescription-bottles-orange-amber-color/